Lightning Skies
by Starian NightZz
Summary: Reincarnation is a pain in the ass, Krystal Potter decided to herself. It isn't like she had wanted to be the Master of Death to begin with. And it isn't like she asked to be reincarnated in a different world as well. A world…known as Fiore. Laxus/Fem!Harry
1. Restart

_Summary:_

 _Reincarnation is a pain in the ass, Krystal Potter decided to herself. It isn't like she had wanted to be the Master of Death to begin with. And it isn't like she asked to be reincarnated in a different world as well. A world…known as Fiore. Laxus/Fem!Harry_

Yes, I know that I really shouldn't be starting a new story so soon after beginning a new story just a few days ago. But this idea got stuck in my head when I was rewatching my Fairy Tail series. I've always liked Laxus, so this will be a pairing with him. He _will not_ be such an ass in this story for reasons—you will see why later.

 **Pairings:** Laxus/Krystal

 **Warnings:** Gender switch. Sibling Erza and Mirajane. Nice Zeref. Non canon.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter and Fairy Tail and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

 **Chapter One: Restart**

Krystal Potter had decided, after the seventh time of being reincarnated— _again_ as an orphan, that whoever had written the books of the possessor of the Deathly Hallows needs a good kick in the nuts.

Seriously, what the hell was she _thinking_ when she had agreed to accept her role as Death's _master_ to begin with?

Oh right.

There was a _war_ at that time. Against Lord I-just-wouldn't-fucking-die Voldemort. Who is _immortal._ And who also happens to be the most feared Dark Wizard of the last century. And somehow or other, the burden of ending his life had somehow fallen onto Krystal's shoulders—a seventeen-year-old teen.

Sometimes, Krystal wonder at the wisdom and common sense of the magical community.

Her first life as Krystal Potter ended not even two years after Voldemort had died. Apparently, Voldemort's Horcrux in her now non-existent scar for nearly her entire life had some serious side effects after its removal. It is after all Death magic at its finest—and she had been exposed to it ever since she was a baby. Upon its removal, her body had started breaking down, and there is nothing that anyone could do.

Bill Weasley, after he had heard the entire story had kicked up a storm—stating that if only Dumbledore had just _approached_ either he or Fleur or even any Healer worth their weight in salt with the secret behind Voldemort's supposed immortality, they could have, one, killed Voldemort a hell of a lot faster and easier; and two, saved Krystal's life if Albus I-know-what's-best-for-you Dumbledore had just gotten a competent Healer to at least fucking _examine_ her after the attack on that dreadful Halloween.

But as it is, it was already too late by that point.

Krystal had cursed Albus _fucking_ Dumbledore to Hell and back when she had heard about it—even on her deathbed. She hoped fervently that her parents would give Dumbledore Hell for her—wherever they are.

Her second life, she was reborn in Italy—again as a member of the magical community. And again, she was born an orphan—with both parents dying not long after her birth for various reasons. Though unlike Britain, Italy's magical community seem to have a firmer grasp on common sense and reality, and actually had a type of fostering system for orphaned magical children.

Krystal later learned that her second life had begun nearly thirty years after the end of Voldemort. And also that apparently, Italy had been the birthplace of magic. And unlike her first life, Krystal had taken to her magical studies like a duck to water—becoming extremely proficient with water and wind spells particularly.

Her second life had also stripped away any delusions that she had about magic being categorised as white and black. Magic is just magic. It is the intent behind it that could really be categorised as 'evil' or 'good'. Hell, the Italians actually practised _necromancy,_ the art of raising the dead—which last that Krystal had remembered, is actually a Forbidden Art in Britain.

Krystal's third through sixth lives went as much the same—though she distinctly remembers _not_ being a magical for one of them. She also can't quite remember the cause of death. But knowing her luck, it was probably something stupid.

Strangely enough, with every single rebirth, she is somehow always _named_ as Krystal. Oh sure, the last name is always different—Vesper, del Rio, and she is also fairly sure that one time, her last name is actually _Poitier._ Now, isn't that ironic?

But after her sixth death, she actually met Death again ever since living as Krystal Potter. Already utterly fed-up with living and dying, she had bluntly told Death to his face that _no more._ No more dying and living. She is sick of it, thank you very much. Sure, her memories of all her past lives are all blurs to her by now, but hey, who cares?

And before Death had shoved her into the reincarnation cycle once more, Krystal could have sworn that she heard him whisper, _this is the last. Seven is the lucky number after all._

Whoever said that Death doesn't have a sense of humour deserves a good kick in the nuts.

 **XXXXXX**

Only within moments after her birth did Krystal realised what Death had meant.

Whatever past memories that she had accumulated over the last few lifetimes seemed to be blurring out—it is like the more that she tried to remember, the faster it faded away. It soon became almost like dreams—dreaming of a war, of allies and enemies alike wanting her dead, and even dreaming of magic.

In this new life (no surprise there!) in a new world _(what?_ Are you kidding me, Death?), she is named as Krystal _again._ Only this time, her last name is _Nightray._

The first human that she had seen is a very beautiful young woman, with silver-blue eyes and fiery red hair so much like her first mother's that Krystal had loved her from the instant when she had opened her eyes and saw the woman that is her mother in this life. And ironically enough, her new mother's name is _Lillian_ Nightray.

 _Lily. Lillian._

…Are you freaking kidding me, Death?

She is also everything that Krystal had imagined a mother to be like. Maybe this time, she wouldn't be an orphan.

Though the first thing that Krystal had realised within moments after her birth is that Lillian seemed to have delivered her own baby by _herself._ Now, Krystal had been a Healer one time, a Wiccan Healer another and a Doctor another to know that it is _not_ normal.

And the house that they lived in is a cottage made out of wood—presumably built by Lillian herself. Said house is located high up on the mountains, with food and water readily growing and available in their backyard, so there is really not much need to go down to the nearest village.

Krystal nearly had a baby heart attack when Lillian had picked her up and strolling about the house the first time only to see a puppyish Grim-like wolf so reminiscent of Sirius' Animagus form. Lillian had hummed to her, talking to her baby, musing about her unknown and missing father.

And from what Krystal could make out, apparently, her father doesn't even _know_ of her existence as Lillian had left even without telling her lover that she's pregnant, trying to protect both her unborn baby and her lover from her lover's enemies. Apparently, her mother had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. And Lillian had even muttered something about it being best that no one knows who her father is, as they would likely kill Krystal if they knew.

…Who the hell is her father in this life?

 **XXXXXX**

As time goes by, Krystal's mind and memories started slowly reverting back to a clean slate—with more and more memories becoming nothing more than just dreams.

She also learned that her mother in this lifetime is a mage—what they call people with magic abilities in this world apparently. And clearly, in this world, magic is different from what she is so familiar with as she saw her mother making water _dance_ in the air to make her laugh several times, and Lillian didn't even need to use a _foci—_ a wand or even a staff. And apparently, her mother is also a skilled herbalist and even a mage doctor of some sort.

As time goes on, and Krystal started to babble and talk, Lillian started telling Krystal stories and lessons about the world. Apparently, the nearby villages in Fiore are all magic-phobic villages—basically, villages full of Aunt Petunias and Uncle Vernons. And the region where they are currently living in are full of villages like them—apparently, the current king of the kingdom had exiled all those magic phobic people to the far western region for some reason, and the mages of the kingdom also knew better than to enter the far western region.

And Krystal is the daughter of a _mage,_ and Lillian had chosen to live in a mountain where at the foot of it, a magic phobic village full of magic hating people resided.

Oh, joy.

 **XXXXXXX**

Lillian Nightray was pleased as punch the day when Krystal had turned three and had somehow accidentally summoned up a fearsome storm that is enough to scare poor Padfoot into hiding behind their couch for three days. Yes, apparently, the black puppy that had grown up with Krystal _is_ named Padfoot.

(Thankfully at least, Padfoot is really a dog, and not a human who can turn into one)

Krystal then learned that much like her mother, she had an affinity with water. Unlike Lillian however, Krystal had a stronger affinity towards lightning, with water and wind a close second. Lillian had tried her best to teach Krystal to control her magic, but there's only so much she could do with the lightning element—the most destructive battle element.

It was also around the time when Lillian had started teaching Krystal how to read and write, and even read maps. She had also started teaching Krystal her skill in creating healing concoctions. A strange man who is more feminine than any man had any business being had also started visiting her mother around this time. He had doted on Krystal, and had somehow turned old stories about her mother's past into fairy tale adventures, much to Lillian's embarrassment.

Apparently, there were mage guilds in this world, and they took on jobs—functioning similarly to mercenaries. And unlike her original world (that she is fast losing memories of), everyone in this world knew about magic, but not everyone can wield it—magic or Ethernao, as it is known as in this world. The mages in this kingdom have laws that governed them—much like the Ministry. But unlike close-minded Britain, the laws that governed them in the kingdom of Fiore are pretty lax.

Basically, as long as you don't fight against another guild, and don't kill just for the sake of killing, the Magic Council will generally leave them alone.

And apparently, her mom is a real powerful mage in her youth, being an S-class mage on par with power with the Ten Wizard Saints—whatever they are. And clearly, her disappearance had caused quite a fuss, though her mom's old guild master had promised to keep her location secret.

…Is her mother hiding from someone?

 **XXXXXX**

Then came the day that Krystal was dreading when she turned seven.

Lillian Nightray died.

Clearly, it seems that she couldn't even get away from being an orphan even being in a different world. And it was then that the people from the nearby village had started coming up the mountain, wanting her dead—believing her to be a 'demon'.

…Honestly, Krystal had no one to blame but herself for 'outing' her secret as she had summoned up enormous storms by accident when Lillian Nightray had breathed her last.

She had scared away those Aunt Petunia clones by calling upon a storm. And apparently, Padfoot is a pretty good deterrent too, and the villagers sure don't want to find out how sharp his teeth are.

After the third group had came, wanting Krystal dead, she had warded the mountain with barrier spells that Lillian had taught her. Her mother had also left behind journals, teaching Krystal everything that she ever knew. She had also found a letter from her mother, with Lillian telling her who her father is.

And when Krystal had read that part, she almost wants to laugh and cry at the same time. No wonder Lillian had ran, not wanting to be near any mage! Any mage worth their salt _will_ either want her dead or seeks her for the _potential_ just for her father being who he is. And not to mention that her father's enemies will hunt her down to the ends of the earth should they know who she is.

If anyone found out who her father is, the Dark Guilds will be after her like a dog with a bone.

Her mother had also told her in her letter that once she feels that she's ready, to leave the mountain and the western region and to join a mage guild. _Hopefully,_ not one of the dark ones.

(Krystal had almost sweat dropped when she had read that part in her mother's letter)

All mages in Fiore joins a guild.

It is not _exactly_ a law in Fiore per se, but it is also pretty much frowned upon if a mage is unaffiliated with a guild. Lillian had even told Krystal to join the Fairy Tail guild—an ally guild to her old guild, telling her to head for Magnolia where Fairy Tail is based.

Because unlike Lillian's old guild, Fairy Tail will be more likely to accept her parentage even if they find out who her father is, and will not seek to kill her just because of her father. Unfortunately however, Lillian can't say the same for her old guild.

The strongest mage guild, Fairy Tail.

It had sounded promising, but Krystal felt as if she isn't ready to leave the mountain just yet.

Fear is stopping her for one. The fear of the unknown.

Why the hell can't she catch a break? Why must she be _different_ from everyone? Even she knew as much from Bob during her early childhood that her magic is pretty unusual. Who the hell can call up storms that are powerful enough to wipe out an entire town or even talk to snakes?

Maybe that's why her mother had even hidden her away to begin with.

…Even still, she had lived through worst—whatever that she could remember, to be exact. Names and faces are all a blur to her by now. She only vaguely remembers red hair and brown hair, with flashes of green light. Their names—she simply can't remember it now, no matter how hard she'd tried.

 _This is the last. Seven is the lucky number after all._

Death's whisper reached the fore of her mind again. She had seen him around sometimes—just a black cloaked individual out of the corner of her eye. And when she'd tried to take a closer look, he isn't there any longer.

Always near, yet never there. Like her protector.

And though most should be beyond terrified at knowing that they got the very personification of Death as a constant companion and a protector, Krystal isn't afraid. Somewhere in her heart, she knew that Death had always been with her. Unlike the humans that she had known so far, he had never left her alone.

He had always been a constant fixture in her life.

… _Seven…_

…Maybe… Just maybe, Death had sent her to this world for a reason.

And just maybe…

 _She doesn't have to be the hero anymore._

* * *

 _A/N: A little tense, and maybe even a little confusing, no? And yes, in regards to female Harry's name, I've just reused the name I used for my other Fairy Tail crossover, so sue me. I've run out of ideas for names, frankly. Also, a cookie to the first person who can guess who Krystal's father is in this world._

 _I hope that you like this story and chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	2. Lightning

**Pairings:** Laxus/Krystal

 **Warnings:** Gender switch. Sibling-like Erza and Mirajane. Nice Zeref. Non canon.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter and Fairy Tail and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Lightning**

Laxus Dreyar remembered when he had first met Krystal Nightray.

He was twelve then, and she was eight; and he was sent on his first _real_ job outside of Magnolia along with Gildarts, as his grandfather was a tad bit overprotective and seem to be under the impression that Laxus would get into trouble without a more experienced mage with him.

Laxus was annoyed when his grandfather had told him his conditions when he had wanted to take the job that he'd seen on the request board, but he had relented in the end, as anything is better than continuing to take simple jobs like finding a lost cat or even repairing someone's roof.

Furthermore, Gildarts—while never staying long in Magnolia, is also one of the few people in the guild that actually sees Laxus as his own person, and never as his grandfather's grandson.

The blond was also lonely and upset, as Ivan, his father was just thrown out of the guild barely a year ago for reasons that his grandfather refused to tell him, and everyone in the guild was treating him like he's just 'Makarov's grandson' ever since. Hence why he had decided to take a job outside of Magnolia that would hopefully take him days if not weeks—just to cool his head down a bit.

He had met Krystal Nightray on that job—and even years later, he had never regretted taking said job though he had initially hesitated, as that job would take him all the way into the Forbidden Land—the western regions of Fiore where most mages would avoid like the plague as all the magic phobic villages resided there. The most extreme magic phobic villages actually kill a mage just for being one. Hence why most mages always avoided that area.

That is probably the reason why Makarov had insisted on Gildarts accompanying Laxus on his first job outside of Magnolia—not only because it is his overprotectiveness talking, but also because Gildarts would be able to protect Laxus if it is ever discovered by some of the magic phobic villages that they are mages.

That job had actually been requested by a travelling doctor who had somehow came across the Fairy Tail guild when travelling through Magnolia, and had decided to make a request. Apparently, the doctor had been puzzled and confused for some time now why he couldn't enter the Sacred Mountain any longer—a mountain located in the western region that is also home to several of Fiore's rarest plants and herbs that are often used in healing remedies and concoctions and even non-magical medication.

In the past, particularly when Fiore was still known as Ishgar, the Sacred Mountain is as its name sounds—a sacred place. It is said that during the Age of the Dragons, that had been the home to a tribe of wind dragons. And according to the doctor, it isn't just him alone who hasn't been able to enter the mountain. And it's not like he _couldn't_ tread foot into the mountain. It's just that every single time he entered the mountain and walked to a certain point, he _always_ ends up back where he had started!

And when he had asked the villagers residing in the nearby village, all of them have started clamouring something about a 'demon' and 'the witch's daughter' and that the gods of the heavens are angry—mumbling something about lightning.

Taking that job along with Gildarts was probably the best decision that Laxus had ever made in his life.

It had been a long journey to the western region—taking both man and child nearly a week and a half of travel by train. During that journey, Gildarts had briefed Laxus on the mission specs, and that the client just wants to find out the cause behind the strange happenings of the mountain. The man had been a good listener too, just listening to Laxus rant about his hurt feelings and the fact that his father was mysteriously exiled without Makarov explaining to him _why._

To be fair, while Laxus had always been close to his grandfather, with the old man practically raising Laxus since he was a small child, Laxus had never been close to his father.

Ivan wasn't a good father. He had hit Laxus a few times as a small child when he was in a bad mood or drunk. When Makarov had found out about it—whether because he had found Laxus crying or saw the tell-tale signs of bruises on his body, the old man had flown into a rage, and both Makarov and Ivan would then argue.

Makarov was really furious a few years ago when Laxus got really sick all of a sudden, and Makarov had then taken Laxus to see Porlyusica. The blond doesn't know what the medic had told his grandfather, but whatever that she had told his grandfather had caused Makarov and Ivan to have their biggest fight ever.

An unbiased part of Laxus could admit that he is glad that his father is gone. But another part of him is upset that his grandfather had thrown his father out of the guild without even explaining _why._ Isn't he a mage of Fairy Tail too? Why wouldn't Makarov tell him anything? And it doesn't really help that outside of Gildarts, everyone in the guild sees Laxus as just 'Makarov's grandson'.

"So this is the Sacred Mountain." Gildarts murmured, with both of them standing in front of said mountain, with a map currently clutched in Gildarts' hand.

Laxus stared, wide-eyed at the mountain. He can understand why the mountain is treated as a holy ground long ago. It really looks to be something out of a picture book. The air is fresh and clean up here, though it is a little thin—almost being difficult to breathe. There were wisps of mist visible as well, and now, Laxus is glad that he had brought his coat.

"…Gildarts, what do you think about what the villagers had said earlier?" Laxus asked the taller man at last.

"About that 'demon'?" Gildarts asked, and Laxus nodded. The older man sighed, scratching at the back of his head. "I don't know." He admitted. "I got a hunch what we might find in there, and if so, it explains a lot. It might also explain why there is a barrier keeping out humans but not mages around this mountain."

Laxus fell silent.

" _Bounty hunters?" The owner of the sole shop in the village peered at both Gildarts and Laxus. "Are you here to kill that demon? About damn time if you ask me." He grumbled, and Laxus raised an eyebrow._

" _Demon?" He echoed._

" _What? You didn't know?" The shopkeeper peered at Laxus beneath large shaggy eyebrows. "There is a demon residing within the mountains. She made that mountain her home about eight years back when her mother came through here. That woman is a travelling entertainer or something, I think. She came through the village about eight years ago heavily pregnant. No idea who the father was. She made her home atop Sacred Mountain after that. We were curious about it in the beginning, sure, as no one ever lives there—with it being home to several wild animals and even predators. But as that mountain no longer generates gold, we don't really care what she does up there. That demon's mother is a knowledgeable herbalist and could cure most illnesses that our village doctor couldn't with her knowledge in herbs, and could even create the nastiest tasting concoctions that does wonders."_

 _Laxus glanced at Gildarts and knew that he is thinking the same thing the moment the pair heard the words 'concoctions' and 'herbalist'. That 'witch' that the ignorant fool before him is talking about must be a mage doctor like Porlyusica._

" _And apparently, her daughter gained her knowledge and talent. Then about a year ago, that witch died. And I'm telling you, it's that demon's doing! So some of our guys went up that mountain to try to…get rid of her—" At this point, Laxus has to try to keep his temper under control to not get ousted as a mage. The warning glance that Gildarts gave him told him the same thing. "But they failed, coming back in a blubbering mess. It took us some time to make sense of their words—they blubbered something about lightning and storms. We tried repeatedly ever since, but it always ended in the same result. One of the guys said something about the skies being angry whenever they approached that demon's house. Lightning always appears. Even the gods are angry with that demon! But then about eight months ago, suddenly, none of us have been able to enter the mountain since."_

" _What do you mean?" Gildarts frowned, trying to keep his temper under control and not use his magic on this ignorant fool before him. How low have they sunk? To even think of hurting a child?_

 _The shopkeeper looked at them as if they're stupid. "Exactly what we mean," he said with a tone that seems as if Laxus and Gildarts should know. "No matter how many times we enter the Sacred Mountain, we get turned around! We always end up right back where we first started!"_

Gildarts pressed his hand gently through the shimmering faint wisps of magic that is just visible to their eye. Only mages can see magic like this—little wonder why the ignorant villagers have thought that the mountain is cursed when they kept walking about in circles.

"It's a pretty strong barrier." Gildarts remarked. "It doesn't do anything but just repel anyone that isn't a mage. No wonder why non-mages kept ending up back at the entrance."

"Defensive Magic." Laxus murmured, having only heard about it—having read about it in books.

Gildarts nodded solemnly. "At its finest," he replied. "Keep your guard up, Laxus." He warned. "The mage's daughter residing in the mountains—she might be hostile. Not surprising, seeing as how nearly an entire village seems out for her blood."

Laxus said nothing, but he can't help cursing the village that they've just left with every curse word that he had ever learnt—and he knew quite a lot, having grown up in a guild like Fairy Tail where majority of the adults often cussed like sailors.

The blond pre-teen felt a shimmer of magic over his skin as he passed through the barrier with Gildarts. He caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye just then, and he turned just in time to see a young snowy-white owl—probably just out of the nest and just learning how to fly perched atop a tree bough of the nearby tree, large golden eyes staring straight at Laxus.

The blond almost felt a shiver run down his arms—he swore that the owl's eyes looked almost _intelligent—_ almost as if it's a mage's familiar. Animals as a whole have low intelligence—solely functioning on instincts alone. But the familiars of mages are a whole different matter. Mages' familiars often assisted them, especially when they're in battle. And their life spans are as long as their mage too—basically, as long as their mage still has one breath left in their body, the familiar will still live—bonded to their mage through a familiar bond.

The young owlet then took off from the bough that it is perched on with a low hoot, flying over their heads and disappearing into the distance.

"…It's a familiar, Laxus." Gildarts said calmly from next to the blond pre-teen, and he looked up at the older man. "That owlet probably belongs to the young mage that we've been hearing about." He looked at Laxus, a hand gripping onto his shoulder. "…She knows that we're here."

 **XXXXXX**

The young snowy-white owlet fluttered about in the air almost comically for several moments before swooping down again onto the outstretched arm of Krystal Nightray.

The owlet seemed to sigh in relief—as it had just learned how to _fly—_ regardless of whether it is reincarnation or not. It then gave out a few short hoots at her mistress who gave a small smile and nodded.

"…I know. They've just passed through my barrier." Krystal murmured. "I didn't think that they'll send mages as assassins this time. Though I should have expected it." She raised her outstretched arm slightly higher, and the owlet immediately took flight to the nearby peach tree, resting atop the bough. "…I might as well get ready for my unwanted guests…"

A faint cackle of lightning is visible within silvery-blue eyes.

 **XXXXXX**

 _Beautiful,_ is the first word that came to mind when Laxus saw the house of the mysterious mage.

It is a house right out of a storybook—like the ones that his grandfather had often read to him when he was really little, and still small enough for Makarov to lift on his knee.

The house is more like a cottage—being fashioned out of tree trunks, with small puffs of smoke being released from the chimney every now and then. White picket rope fences enclosed the house away from the rest of the mountain. A river ran through the front of the cottage, with a small bridge built over it so as to enable one to be able to walk over to the cottage without getting their feet wet. Some wood pickets supported a small fishing rod fashioned out of tree boughs, with it twitching every now and then when the fishing line was tugged by the water currents.

A small vegetable garden was also visible by the side, with various plants like eggplants, spinach and even carrots curiously growing in patches—seeing as how it's currently _winter,_ and thus, shouldn't be possible for _anything_ to be growing, let alone plants that are extremely delicate in cold weather.

Various fruit trees—ranging from apple trees to peach trees and even mango trees were also growing healthily on the other side of the cottage. A black wolf-like dog—a black Belgian sheepdog was nestled beneath the shade of one of the trees, cracking an eye opened and growling at them menacingly. And on the tree bough of the peach tree was the young owlet that Laxus had seen earlier—its large curious golden eyes peering at them.

And standing atop the small bridge of the river was a young girl of maybe about eight or so with raven black locks that ended to just a little below her earlobes. She is petite and small in stature, with unusual silvery-blue eyes that looks as if it could look right into him. And she is dressed in a small red shirt and black shorts that looks almost threadbare—like it had been repaired over and over. A pair of red and white bands was entwined around her left wrist. And her feet were bare.

The girl—the young mage that they're most likely looking for is staring at them with cold eyes. Beside Laxus, Gildarts resisted the urge to shiver. Such cold eyes should not belong on a child.

Clearing his throat, Gildarts decided to take the friendly approach. "Hey there, little miss!" he greeted jovially, but his smile slowly slid off his face as he noticed the cold look still present in those silvery-blue eyes. "…Well… I guess our presence here isn't that much of a surprise to you. So it is you who set up that barrier."

"Of course I did." The girl scoffed. "Do you honestly think that after the third time I got assassins sent after me, I won't take measures?"

Laxus scowled at that, and Gildarts frowned. So those villagers really _did_ try to kill this young child just for possessing something that they don't understand. But still… The fact that she can at least construct a barrier and leave it around the mountain like that… Whoever her mother is, she had taught her daughter well.

"Did the villagers send you?" The girl asked, her eyes flickering from one to the other. "And to think that they send a mage this time. They must be pretty desperate—since they had a lengthy history of killing mages just for being one." Laxus frowned—so he's right after all. "You won't be the first person to try to kill me, and you won't be the last either."

Laxus stiffened and Gildarts frowned as lightning flashed across the skies just then, with dark clouds converging even as light cackles of lightning flashes across silvery-blue eyes. A rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

' _Lightning?'_ Laxus wondered, feeling his interest in the younger girl grow—after all, apart from himself, he had never seen anyone use lightning elemental attacks before. Lightning Elemental magic users are a pretty rare lot. _'She can use elemental attacks?'_

' _What kind of magic is this…?'_ Gildarts wondered, his eyes flickering skywards and then back to the little girl in front of him. _'Magic that is powerful enough to control the weather? I've never even seen or heard of anyone able to do that before!'_

"Come then." A cold smile appeared on the little girl's face even as sparks of lightning started sparkling from her fingers. "Show me what you've got!"

 **XXXXXX**

 _~Fairy Tail; Magnolia~_

Erza Scarlet furrowed her brows, staring at the small girl with raven hair sitting at one of the tables in the guildhall, her feet dangling several inches off the ground. A black Belgian sheepdog that will probably reach to her hip easily even when sitting was nosing at the small girl, whining gently. A young snowy white owlet was perched on her shoulder, chirping and nibbling at her hair.

"Who's that?" Erza asked curiously, nudging with her elbow at Cana Alberona who was seated at the bar counter beside her.

"Hmm?" Cana turned over her shoulder, following Erza's line of sight only to see the small raven-haired girl seated in a corner quietly, with a dog and owl keeping her company. "Oh. Laxus and Gildarts brought her to the guild," she answered. "I think they're upstairs talking to the Master now."

Erza was silent for several moments, eyeing the slightly younger girl. That look in her eyes… It reminds Erza a lot of herself when she'd first came to the guild after leaving the Tower.

She made up her mind then.

"Erza?"

"I'm going to say hello."

Erza then walked over to the younger girl. The black Belgian sheepdog with her pricked up his ears at the sound of Erza's footsteps, turning around and growling at the redhead who paused, raising both her hands to show that she meant no harm.

The raven-haired girl looked up at the sound of her dog's growling only to see Erza standing in front of her. Cana joined Erza a moment later, smiling at her.

"Hello." Erza said warmly. "My name is Erza. This is Cana." She gestured towards the brunette next to her. "May we join you?"

The girl nodded. "…This is Padfoot," she said, speaking for the first time in the girls' presence, patting her dog on the head that now seem as meek as a kitten, nuzzling against his mistress and whining. "He is really harmless—don't let his looks fool you." She gave a small smile as her dog licked her face, barking happily, his tail wagging so quickly behind him that it only appears as a blur.

Or at least, Padfoot is harmless until someone tries to harm her.

"He is so cute!" Cana cooed at the dog who eyed her warily. "I never had a pet before!"

"He's been with me since I was born." The girl smiled weakly. She then looked at Erza and Cana in the eye. "…I'm Krystal. Krystal Nightray."

 **XXXXXX**

" _Damn it…" Gildarts sighed, examining his singed sleeves. If this is what the little girl could do at eight years old—untrained and all, then he seriously don't want to find out what she could do once she had grown up as a trained mage._

" _Will you listen to us now?" Laxus asked carefully, sitting down across the girl in her cottage, trying to ignore the pair of menacing eyes from her 'hairy walking carpet' who is currently seated at the entrance on his haunches, growling menacingly. "We mean you no harm. We are not sent by the village. We are just here to investigate the strange happenings of Sacred Mountain. And when we figured out that there is a mage involved, we just got curious, that's all." He admitted. "Besides, this is the first time that I saw someone who could use the same element as me."_

 _The girl looked at Laxus, interest shining in silvery-blue orbs for the first time. "…Lightning?"_

 _Laxus nodded. "I can't control the weather though," he admitted, staring at his hands, letting a light cackle of lightning go over his palms. "I'm just a lightning element user."_

" _And judging by the fact that you can control the weather, then I'm guessing… Lightning, wind and water?" Gildarts pressed, as those three elements are what make up a storm. The little girl nodded. "We'll listen to your story. For starters, what's your name and what are you doing in the middle of the Forbidden Land? I'm Gildarts Clive."_

"… _Laxus Dreyar." Laxus answered promptly the moment that the girl's eyes turned towards him._

"… _Krystal Nightray." The girl muttered after a moment. "My mom… Her name is Lillian Nightray."_

 _Gildarts froze, and Laxus looked surprised. Though he had never met the woman, and had only heard about her, even the blond pre-teen had heard about one of the strongest mages that had ever existed in Fiore._

 _If Lillian Nightray had just been a little older before she had retired from Blue Pegasus, she would have been named as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. After all, Lillian Nightray had just been eighteen when she'd left Blue Pegasus._

"… _Water Dancer Lillian Nightray?" Gildarts almost croaked. "Formerly of Blue Pegasus? The mage that had an incomprehensible control over water that it is almost like it responds to her will? I heard rumours that she left the guild about a decade ago! She's your mother?"_

 _Krystal nodded. "Yes. I never met my dad though," she admitted. "Mom just told me enough about him that she likes him enough to have me, but she left him without even telling him that she's pregnant—saying that she did that in order to protect me and him from Dad's enemies. She's also a mage doctor—one of the best from what I know. Her old guild master visited often enough when I was younger that I often heard stories about Mom's guild days. Mom's a highly skilled herbalist—able to come up with concoctions that can heal most diseases and illnesses that baffled people. I don't know what happened exactly, and whom she's hiding from. I only know from Mom's last letter that some of Dad's enemies are after her. That's why she went into hiding. That's why she hid us here. But about a year ago, Mom got seriously sick. Nothing that we tried work. Mom said that it's the 'Death Illness'—whatever that is. I never went down to the village after Mom died. I'll be a fool to when they had a tendency to kill mages just for being one. I saw what happened to the last one that passed through years ago." Laxus and Gildarts exchanged startled glances at this point. "Mom was smart enough to keep her identity as a mage hidden. When my powers woke, it was Mom who taught me how to control it. But… It's not like it really helped all that much with my lightning control. Mom said something about lightning being the one element that you can't control."_

" _She's right." Laxus said suddenly, and both Gildarts and Krystal turned towards the blond who looked solemn. "You_ _ **can't**_ _control lightning. It is raw power at its finest. Be the lightning. Don't control it."_

" _So what else can you do?" Gildarts asked, interested._

" _Well…"_

 **XXXXXX**

"…A young mage. The Water Dancer's daughter herself? And one that is powerful enough to even control the weather?" Makarov almost exploded the moment that his mind had managed to comprehend what Laxus and Gildarts have just told him. "What is Bob thinking by leaving a young child up in the mountains alone? And in the Forbidden Land furthermore?"

Laxus coughed into his hand. "To be fair, Gramps, I don't think that Master Bob even knew that Lillian Nightray had died," he said, defending the master of Blue Pegasus. "According to Krystal, he only visited once every few years."

"Yeah, he doesn't like that village and that continent." Gildarts admitted. Even he had never gone that far in Fiore whenever he went on one of his many travels. The western continent is after all a place that all mages avoided like the plague. "Can't say I blame him. Though if Lillian Nightray is hiding her daughter from _mages—_ then the Forbidden Land is the last place that they would look. Ingenious." He admitted.

Makarov frowned, rubbing at his chin. "…Krystal Nightray," he murmured at last. "Lillian Nightray's daughter, huh? Just who is her father anyway that an S-class mage like the Water Dancer can't seem to handle his enemies, and had instead chosen to run?"

Gildarts frowned at that comment.

It is true.

Lillian Nightray is no pushover. She is not someone whom anyone with even a little bit of common sense would want to fight or have as an enemy. She is actually part of the reason why Blue Pegasus had been as famous and well known as they are about a decade ago when she had joined. When word had gotten around that she had left the guild, business for Blue Pegasus had actually slipped, though it is gradually climbing back up again.

"…I have no idea." Gildarts admitted. "That child—Krystal seems reluctant to talk about her mother and her father, and I didn't want to push her. It took me everything to convince her that I won't harm her. I think it's mainly because Laxus is with me that she agreed to let me into her house. And it's also _Laxus_ who had convinced her to leave the Sacred Mountain with us. Her familiar and that dog of hers followed us too."

Probably because no child had ever hurt her before, and thus, Krystal had only agreed to listen to Gildarts _because_ Laxus is there—a child that isn't that much older than her. Furthermore, her dog acts as a rather overprotective bodyguard, and would likely fly at Gildarts if he tried anything.

"An untrained young mage. And one with such raw power and potential." Makarov murmured to himself. He then looked at Gildarts and Laxus. "So what do you think we should do?"

Laxus kept quiet, letting the adults in the room talk.

Honestly? He kinda liked the girl. She is the first one who treated him like he's his own person, and not just because he's 'Makarov's grandson'. True, she probably _doesn't know_ who he is, but Laxus had a feeling that even if Krystal knew who he's related to, she most likely wouldn't care.

Even the ones closest to his age like Cana and even Gray seem a little intimidated by him. Erza didn't care who he was—so in a way, she is the one person in the guild that Laxus could call a friend, but their personalities just clashed with each other.

Gildarts sighed. "Master, we can't ignore this," he said earnestly. "Her unique magic notwithstanding, she's Lillian Nightray's daughter. Guilds and mages everywhere would be after her once word gets out—and trust me on this, it _will_ get out sooner or later. These things always do. Besides, all of us knew what would happen if a mage goes untrained, especially if they wield tremendous magic to begin with. And Krystal can control the weather. She needs to learn to control it."

"…Gramps, I'll teach her how to control her lightning." Laxus spoke up suddenly, and both Makarov and Gildarts turned towards the young pre-teen. "I can at least do that much as I'm a lightning user myself. Let her join Fairy Tail. You took in Erza, Gray and even Cana, didn't you? There's no reason to turn her away, is there? If it's Master Bob that you're worried about, you can convince him, right? He can come and visit her if he wants to."

Makarov was almost taken aback at the pleading look in his grandson's eyes.

Laxus who wasn't that pleased to begin with when he had first taken in Cana and Gray before being followed by Erza. He had thought at that time that it's because Laxus was jealous—having been an only child, and he had never had to share his grandfather with other children before as all the other guild members were already adults.

But just maybe…

It could be because ever since Ivan's expulsion, the entire guild had been treating Laxus like he's just his grandson—something that he knew grates at Laxus' nerves. The blond pre-teen had been getting steadily more and more bad-tempered ever since that it is only Erza who dared to speak to him.

"Well… I wasn't planning to turn her away to begin with anyway." Makarov said solemnly, and Laxus scowled at his grandfather. "Every child should have a home, and a place where they can be themselves. The Forbidden Land is no place for a young mage to grow up."

"I'll go and tell her then!" Laxus volunteered before getting up and running from Makarov's office before the old man could even say anything.

Both adults stared at each other for several moments, speechless. Makarov was the first one to break the silence by laughing. "Oh boy…!" The old man chuckled. "Well, Laxus could do with a good friend either way. It'll be interesting to see how their friendship grows."

"I agree." Gildarts smiled wistfully.

 **XXXXXX**

 _~Unknown Location~_

The black haired young man stared blankly at the blue skies above him, and even the white clouds puffing by—being moved by the slight wind that tickled his hair. He stretched out a hand to the skies above him.

"…Lillian… Why did you leave?" he whispered. He closed his eyes for several moments, recalling the letter that he had received from her by means of a bird messenger just a year ago, with the letter explaining everything, and that the letter also states that the only way he would receive this is if she's dead. She had also explained just _why_ she had left.

… _I'm sorry, but I can't risk it. I know you can protect yourself. And so could I. But I can't risk our daughter._

A small smile graced the young man's face.

A daughter…

So he had a child out there somewhere.

…One immune to his curse—as she is born of his blood.

… _Please, as a last request. Stop going down the path you are before we'd first met. I told you before—you aren't an evil man. I don't believe that. Your eyes are kind and lonely. Promise me on this._

He closed his eyes, tears briefly escaping from them before opening them again. "…I understand, Lillian," he whispered. "I promise. But at the very least, I need to correct my mistakes. My books… My _demons…_ And even Acnologia… I need to stop them."

… _Most likely, our daughter might just be the key to destroying the Black Dragon…_

… _Our daughter's name is Krystal. Krystal Nightray. She most likely knows who you are by now—even who you are to her. Please… Protect her, Zeref._

Zeref gave a small wistful smile to himself. "I will. I promise, Lillian."

* * *

 _A/N: I suppose it's pretty obvious who Krystal's father is starting from the previous chapter since more than half of you got it correct on the first guess! Before anyone asks, Natsu, Levy and the Strauss siblings haven't joined Fairy Tail at this point yet—thus why they haven't appeared. As for Krystal's age in case you wanted to know—she is slightly younger than Erza who had been four years Laxus's junior. And thus, a year older than Gray and Natsu._

 _Additionally, I'm still agonising how I'm going to deal with Zeref's whole role in this story, since in canon, he is technically the antagonist. And I honestly don't feel like creating a new OC just for the sake of playing an antagonist. Any ideas, guys?_

 _Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	3. The Day the Wind Blew

**Pairings:** Laxus/Krystal

 **Warnings:** Gender switch. Sibling-like Erza and Mirajane. Nice Zeref. Non-canon.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter and Fairy Tail and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

 **Chapter Three: The Day the Wind Blew**

 _~Year 777; Fairy Tail~_

Dark clouds were already converging in the skies above Magnolia, thus forcing majority of the citizens to start running for cover indoors to get out of the heavy downpour that is soon to come.

And as usual, Magnolia's sole mage guild is full of bustle and activity. Their newest recruits happened to be a trio of siblings that had joined roughly a year and a half ago. And it had actually taken both Erza and Krystal nearly six months just to get through to the stoic eldest of the Strauss siblings, Mirajane.

Annoyed at losing his job partner for six months, Laxus had actually asked his grandfather what is so important that Makarov actually had to borrow Krystal for six months just to get through to their newest recruit.

It had been nearly four years since Krystal had joined Fairy Tail, and she had now settled in well, though it been difficult for her in the beginning, as she's as prickly as a porcupine—to quote Wakaba. The only people whom she would even let get close to her at that time had just been Laxus, Gildarts, Makarov, and surprisingly, Cana and Erza—as the latter two were the first ones in her age group to approach her when she was first brought to the guild. It also helps that those two were also the ones to help her to integrate into the guild and also the ones to help her to get a room at the Fairy Hills dormitory where majority of Fairy Tail's female members stayed.

Even still, despite making fast friends with Cana and Erza, Laxus is still the one that is Krystal's close confidante and closest friend—much to the guild's amusement, as everyone knew just how anti-social that Laxus had been.

Hedwig and Padfoot were favourites of the guild as well, especially the black Belgian sheepdog—with the two quickly becoming the guild's mascots or something. As Hedwig is Krystal's mage familiar, the slowly developing owlet had been growing into her own powers so that she can assist her mage in battle.

Makarov didn't tell Laxus, Erza and Krystal a lot about the Strauss siblings and their history prior to joining Fairy Tail—it had been an unspoken rule in Fairy Tail after all that their members' past stay as it is—in the past. Even still, Krystal could tell that the three Strauss siblings had came from a magic-phobic village much like herself, especially since the eldest, Mirajane had an expression pretty much similar to the one that she herself wore when she'd first came to Fairy Tail.

Erza and Krystal's persistence in getting through to Mirajane paid off in the end, as the girl who probably is around their age finally decided to come out of her shell and start socialising with the others, much to her siblings' delight. The younger generation had also all decided to pitch in and teach the Strauss siblings magic, though in the end, it is Take Over magic that they're all better at.

"Looks like it's about to pour." Lisanna noted, staring outside the window at the dark skies outside. "Too bad. It was so nice out just a moment too." The low tunes of a flute reaches their ears just then, and Lisanna perked up, not noticing that all those in the guild stopped their babble for a moment just to listen to the low soothing tunes. "What's that? Who's playing it?"

"Hmm?" Erza turned around from her cheesecake, a cake fork in her hand. "That's Kris. I guess you hadn't really seen her playing anything in the guild as she doesn't like playing in front of a crowd."

"That's Krystal playing?" Mirajane echoed from next to Erza.

"Yeah. I think one of the first jobs that she and Laxus took when she'd first joined is to help some famous musician to get back his violin." Gray piped up, having been present in the guild when the said musician was there to give his eternal gratitude and thanks to the pair for retrieving his precious violin for him—with the violin having been a gift from his late teacher. "That musician actually lived in Magnolia for awhile after that, and as thanks, he actually taught Krystal how to play the flute and the violin. I think even the piano too."

"I never knew that." Lisanna was surprised.

Cana chuckled. "Well, Kris isn't one to like attention paid to her," she admitted. "So at times, she climbed up to the roof of the guild to play. It actually helps her mood as well. So none of us really said anything."

 **XXXXXX**

Sixteen-year-old Laxus Dreyar walked with slow steps up the stairs that led to the rooftop of the guild that actually overlooks all of Magnolia—following the low fleeting tunes of the flute that he could hear.

Finally, he emerged onto the rooftop and immediately spied Krystal's petite form seated at the edge of the rooftop, her legs dangling over it, playing the jade green flute.

"You sure do love high places, huh?" Laxus commented, and Krystal stopped her playing immediately, turning around to face Laxus.

She gave a small smile, tucking the flute away into a dark blue sling bag by her side that was woven with strong elements of spatial magic that actually enables her to put unlimited stuff inside, and yet, the bag will still be weightless.

"I guess so." Krystal mused. "So what's with all the fuss?"

"Nothing much. The Strauss siblings are attempting Take Over magic." Laxus shrugged uncaringly. "But never mind. I just got ourselves a job." He handed the flier that he had just taken off the board to Krystal who took it curiously. "It's perfect for us, don't you think?" He grinned at Krystal who smiled back.

"Let's go." Krystal got to her feet gingerly, letting Laxus pull her to her feet with relative ease—with the older boy being four years older than her and not to mention that he's much taller and broader than twelve-year-old petite and slim Krystal. "So you want me to be 'weather speaker' again—or in layman terms, to calm the skies."

Laxus smirked. "Let's go."

 **XXXXXX**

" _Gale Magic: Thunder Clouds!"_

Laxus truly will never get tired of seeing Krystal use her magic, the blond lightning mage mused absently to himself as he controlled the lightning crackling over the skies with relative ease. Ever since Krystal had came to the guild, and the Master had identified her as a mage with the rare ability to control the weather, with control over a rare element known as Gale Magic, most of the jobs that the guild had that relates to lightning and storms are given to Laxus and Krystal who often did their jobs together.

Laxus knew for one that Krystal is also experimenting with barrier, ward and rune magic—with those being another branch of magic known as Spatial Magic that Krystal's mother had taught her before she had died. The Water Dancer after all isn't as feared as she had been if she is skilled in just water manipulation. She had a wide range of mage spells—most of which she'd taught Krystal, and she had also left behind enough scrolls and books for Krystal to learn out of if she couldn't be there.

Even Laxus had heard of Lillian Nightray's reputation, and he had respected the woman, for she is fearsome mage—commanding respect everywhere even after her death. Master Bob had actually came down to Fairy Tail nearly a month after Krystal's arrival. Laxus didn't know what had gone down in that meeting between his grandfather, Master Bob and Krystal. But the end of it was that Master Bob had agreed to leave Krystal in his grandfather's care, though he had sometimes dropped by to check on the little girl—having dotted on her like a granddaughter.

And once the ominous lightning cackling over dark storm clouds had faded away like…well— _magic,_ along with the dark clouds, Laxus turned towards the shocked mayor of the town that had hired them to begin with, a smirk on his face. Said mayor wasn't too impressed when they'd first turned up to do the job that he had hired them for, complaining that he didn't pay for two snot-nosed brats.

(Actually, he _did,_ but neither Laxus nor Krystal feel compelled to correct him on it.)

And as this isn't exactly the first time that both of them have faced arrogant idiots who had underestimated them just for their age, the two teens have just taken it in stride. Apparently, the town had been getting a series of storms and lightning for a few weeks now—with it being around the time of year for irregular storm clouds. It is also around the time of year when both Laxus and Krystal would be swamped with jobs like this, especially for towns and villages near the eastern continent.

"Well, we're done here." Laxus told the gob smacked mayor innocently even as Krystal approached them from where she had been standing at the pier, calming the skies and using her Gale magic. "We'll expect the rest of the payment in a week, mayor."

"Uh… Right…" The mayor finally found his tongue, now seeing the two teens (or rather, one teen and one pre-teen) in a new light. "Will you be staying the night? If so, I can prepare two inn rooms for you at the local inn. It'll be on the house—it's the least we could do to thank you, as it looks like the festival tonight can go on as planned."

"I guess we could." Laxus mused after exchanging looks with Krystal. "It is nearly a day's journey back to Magnolia after all."

"Excellent!" The mayor clapped his hands together, pleased—and most likely also half-relieved that he _didn't_ piss off the pair before him _too_ much—they'll probably make him eat some lightning or something if they got pissed. "You'll enjoy the festival, I believe. You don't get too many of this kind of festival out in the big cities."

"I think we'll retire back to the inn for now." Krystal interrupted. "And thank you for your offer."

With that, the two then turned and made their way back to the town. But Laxus' sharp hearing caught the murmured words of the mayor, "Weather Witch."

* * *

"…Honestly, if you hadn't been there for me for these four years, I would have probably made half of those idiots eat some lightning by now." Laxus huffed even as the pair strolled the streets later that night—with festive lights and booths set up. "I'm sick of always being seen as my gramps' grandson. Outside of Gildarts and you, no one ever sees me as my own person! And then there's the issue with my dad."

Krystal said nothing but just let Laxus rant. Heavens knows that he needs it. And it is also true that his temper and mood is slightly better with Krystal here to anchor him—he doesn't fly off the handle at the slightest thing at least, like what Erza had told her once. And he at least freaking _smiles_ instead of scowls all the time like the world had owed him money.

Krystal also knew a little of Laxus' _complicated_ family history. Macao was more than happy to fill her in one day when Laxus was not by her side for once about two years ago, and she happened to be having her lunch with Erza and Cana. And honestly, Krystal couldn't blame Laxus for being so angry all the time before she'd arrived when she'd heard the entire story.

"Laxus, this is your family affair, so I really shouldn't interfere." Krystal mused absently even as she watched the small mini music concert going on—being given by two men playing some curious instruments that seems to be a cross between a lute and a guitar. A group of children were also surrounding them with awed looks on their faces—Krystal received the same treatment the first and only time Erza and Cana have managed to convince her to play the flute last year a day before the Fantasia parade that Fairy Tail always puts on every year. "But this is just my opinion." Krystal turned to look at Laxus who looked curious—she is the only person whom he could never be mad at or even upset. "You said yourself once that your father never seem to care about the guild members—just himself. Right?" Laxus nodded. "But the Master had always looked at everyone in the guild as his own child." How a child of the Master could turn out like Ivan is still a mystery to Krystal today. "In your opinion, will the Master exile your father without a good reason?"

Laxus sulked, and Krystal restrained the urge to laugh at him, knowing that Laxus most likely wouldn't appreciate it. The blond huffed, glaring at one of the festive lights as if seeing something fascinating there. "…No," he finally admitted.

The guild isn't joking when they said that Krystal is like Laxus' rational voice. She could somehow always manage to calm him down and make the blond see sense. Thus, during one of the rare occasions when Laxus was enraged, they usually just send Krystal in to calm him down. Being a lightning mage as well, Laxus' lightning magic wouldn't hurt Krystal as badly as it would for someone who doesn't wield lightning magic. Not that the blond would even _think_ of hurting Krystal.

And then again, what is that that Makarov had told Laxus two years ago after an argument about Ivan…again?

 _Power and might isn't everything, Laxus. It isn't a path that you want to follow. Because if you do, someday, you might just find yourself hurting the very person whom you wanted to protect._

"The Master isn't that sort of man." Krystal said, and Laxus turned his attention back to her. "He isn't one to exile someone from the guild for no reason. He took me in without asking questions, didn't he? And Erza, Gray, Mira and all the others. He never asked any of us about our history—he just took us in without a word. If so, don't you think that it's entirely possible that your father had done something unforgivable that the Master is forced to exile his own son?"

Laxus scowled at nothing in particular. But he grudgingly agreed that Krystal had a point. His gramps isn't one to do something extreme for no good reason.

"…Why couldn't he tell me at least?" Laxus finally asked.

"Who knows?" Krystal shrugged. "Maybe _because_ it is your father that the Master said nothing. He probably doesn't want you hating your own father." She reasoned. And Krystal had a point there. In the past, no matter how much 'bad' his father did, and no matter what he did to Makarov, and no matter how much he'd abused Laxus, Makarov had never said a single bad thing against Ivan—not wanting Laxus to think ill of his father. "…My mother never did tell me anything about my dad when I was growing up too." Krystal admitted, and Laxus stared at her. If truth be told, Krystal's parentage had always been something that he was curious about—to be exact, the identity of her mysterious father. Who could charm the Water Dancer enough that she would bear his child? "I actually had to find out who he is in a letter that my mother left behind after she'd passed away, and even then, she said nothing apart from his name." Krystal said, purposely omitting several details on purpose.

Even now, after four years, she still has no idea how the guild would take it if she should reveal who her father is. She knew for one that the Master and even Master Bob were both curious, and they've been investigating for as long as she'd been in Fairy Tail, but they both never found anything.

"You'll find him one day." Laxus said at last, not knowing what to say. He doesn't know which is better—having a bastard for a father and a mother who'd died from illness when he's really small or not even meeting one of your parents your entire life and having the other dead from illness before she's even old enough to wander the land.

Krystal gave a small smile. "…Yeah," she said. Inwardly, she hoped to meet her father one day too and gauge for herself the type of man he is, and why her mother would fall in love with the famous Black Mage out of all people. A booth selling several trinkets caught her eye just then, and she paused, picking the black choker with a silver pendant shaped like a lightning bolt hanging from it.

"You got a good eye there, miss." The owner of the booth that reminds Krystal of a bald walnut commented, also missing several of his teeth. "That's the last one that I have—and the only one that I made in the shape of a lightning bolt."

"How much?" Laxus asked the owner firmly, much to Krystal's surprise.

"Lax!"

"It's fine." Laxus insisted, paying the owner after he told the blond teen the price. "I missed your last birthday due to a job, so this is my gift to you."

Krystal sighed, but gave in—knowing from experience how stubborn Laxus could be. "Then I'll say thank you then," she said at last, and from the grin on Laxus' face, she knew that that is probably the right thing to say.

"We should probably head back to the inn. We got an early morning tomorrow." Laxus said at last reluctantly—wanting to relay his return to Magnolia as much as possible.

"I guess so." Krystal said, knowing why Laxus is so reluctant to call an end to the day. Honestly, she couldn't see any way to fix Laxus' negative feelings towards the guild too. And come to think of it, just which fool or idiot even started the whole 'seeing Laxus as only Makarov's grandson' anyway?

"Psst!"

As the two make their way away from the heart of the crowd and where majority of the festival is taking place, they heard a loud whisper, and Krystal stopped in her tracks. "Did you hear that?" she asked Laxus who nodded, frowning. "Where is it coming from?"

"…Hey! Over here!"

The whisper came again, and this time, both Laxus and Krystal tracked the sound down to a nearby alleyway. Krystal exchanged glances with Laxus who shrugged and the two then headed towards the alleyway, with Krystal ready to cast a mage spell if necessary. Out of the corner of her eye, Krystal saw Laxus almost slouching, both his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket—but she wasn't fooled; she could feel the light wind currents changing—Laxus had his magic spells ready as well just in case they were attacked.

Lightning is the battle element for a reason. It is the reason why Makarov had finally relented about three years ago to have Laxus go on more dangerous missions if he had Krystal with him, as she wields Gale magic—lightning and water dual magic, along with spatial magic.

A trio of three teens stood in front of them—probably just a little older than Krystal and younger than Laxus. The tallest is a boy with dark blue hair and eyes, with the other boy about a head shorter than he is with bright green hair and eyes. The third of their trio is a girl with chestnut brown wavy hair that reaches to mid-back, and for some reason, she had bandages around her eyes.

Krystal frowned. Is that girl blind? And the clothes of the trio were threadbare, with their feet bare. Are they orphans or something? Does this town ignore their orphans and don't even provide basic care?

Krystal felt white-hot anger surge up in her—mistreated children always left a bad taste in her mouth because of her history before Laxus and Gildarts have taken her with them to Fairy Tail.

"Yes? Can we help you?" Laxus questioned, one brow raised as he looked from one to the other.

The two boys exchanged looks between themselves before the green haired boy spoke up. "Are you the mages that the mayor hired to take care of the lightning problem?" he asked carefully, and a weight seems to have been taken off his shoulders when both Laxus and Krystal nodded. "Please… We need your help!" He almost pleaded.

Laxus and Krystal exchanged confused looks. "Why don't you start from the beginning?" Krystal suggested. "Do you want to go to the inn to talk about it?"

The blue haired boy looked horrified and shook his head—his shaggy hair flying wildly around his face. "No! They will never let us in anyway," he said the last part almost sadly.

Laxus frowned. "What's going on?" he asked, letting his magic fade from his hands as these three are obviously not a threat.

"I'm Freed Justine." The green haired boy introduced himself. "This is Bickslow." He introduced the dark blue haired boy next to him who is assisting the only girl of their trio to sit down on an overturned crate near them. "And she is Evergreen. We need your help."

"That's what you've been saying from the start, but we need to know what's going on in order to help you." Krystal said patiently. "Are you orphans?"

"You can tell?" Bickslow looked surprised.

Krystal shrugged. "I can tell," she echoed. She neglected to mention that she'd lived a similar life in the past—being unwanted, thus, she can always tell if someone is one too, though just the trio's clothes alone is a blatant clue.

"It's because of me." The girl—Evergreen spoke up at last, turning her bandaged eyes towards where she assumed Krystal and Laxus were standing. "I grew up with Bickslow and Freed. Our parents died a couple of years ago. It happened about a year ago." She raised a bruised and battered hand towards the bandages around her eyes. "I didn't mean to, I swear. The older kids around here didn't really like orphans. They were trying to steal whatever food that we managed to get for the week."

"It's just a game to them!" Freed said angrily, clenching both hands into fists. "They didn't care that it is all the food that we have for the week! They just take delight into taking everything from us!"

Krystal had a feeling that she knew what is coming next, but she asked anyway. "Carry on."

"They always picked on Eve the most because you know, she's a girl?" Bickslow added. "About a year ago, they took their antics too far in the forest where we made our home." Krystal and Laxus knew where that is—that is most likely the forest that they've passed by on their way to the town earlier that morning. "And then…"

"I swear I didn't know what I could do!" Evergreen wailed, tugging at her brown locks on her head. "One minute, they are just standing there. The next moment, they all just…"

Freed looked at his female friend with sorrow even as Bickslow tried to calm her down before turning towards Laxus and Krystal. "Eve turned them all into stone," he said, his voice shaking. "We…were scared. We hid those…stone statues somewhere where we thought no one would find them—but they did. It's just lucky for us that they never thought that it's us—the townspeople thought that someone laid a curse on those bullies. And after that, it is like whatever that Eve looks at just turned into stone. Any living creature."

Krystal glanced at Laxus—both of them knew what magic this is. Stone Magic. But this is still the first time that Krystal had heard of someone able to do that with eye contact alone.

"Did you blind yourself on purpose to stop this?" Laxus asked bluntly.

"No!" Freed said immediately. "Eve tried to, but Bickslow and I stopped her. In the end, we figured that since this…curse needs eye contact, as long as Eve doesn't make eye contact with anyone, it's fine. And we were right."

"Please…" Evergreen pleaded with Krystal and Laxus. "You're mages, right? You must have some way to stop this curse? Did I do something wrong? Are the gods angry with me?"

Krystal sighed. It is always this way with non-mages—anything unexplained is always seen as a curse by them. Mira's situation comes to mind immediately.

"It is not a curse." Laxus said immediately, a frown on his face, and the trio of friends turned towards the older blond who had his arms crossed over his chest. "It is magic. You're a mage. What you could do is known as Stone Magic."

"M-Magic?"

"With enough training, you can learn to control it." Krystal explained, feeling a pang in her heart as it really reminds her of her past. "It is your magic. You can control it." She exchanged looks with Laxus who looked annoyed, but nodded, also looking concerned. They can't just leave an untrained mage out here anyway. "We're heading back to Magnolia tomorrow. Do you want to come with us? There are other mages at our guild. Even if we couldn't, one of them most probably could teach you how to control your magic."

Evergreen was silent for several moments before nodded. "But…" She tugged at the sleeves of her friends. "I want Bickslow and Freed to come with me." She pleaded.

Krystal glanced at Laxus to see what he has to say. The blond only sighed. "…Well, we already got a group of brats back home anyway," he said. "And it isn't exactly impossible to teach someone how to use magic. So if you truly want to, you can learn magic too."

 **XXXXXX**

"It's pretty unusual of you and Laxus to bring someone back to join the guild." Erza commented.

Krystal shrugged, nursing her cup of orange juice, glancing upwards at the ceiling where the Master is now having a chat with Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow. "Well, we can't just ignore them," she reasoned. "An untrained mage is no joking matter."

Erza smiled. "I guess so," she mused.

"By the way, I was just gone for two days, but we already got another recruit?" Krystal glanced at where Lisanna was sitting with a small salmon-haired kid maybe around the age of Mira's youngest sister. The pair of children was chatting happily with Macao who was sitting across them.

"Yeah. The Master brought him back yesterday when you were gone on that job of yours with Laxus." Mirajane said, approaching them and settling herself against Krystal's other side—much to her relief, as she sure doesn't want another case of Mira and Erza fighting once more. She wonders just when they would grow out of it. "I think his name's Natsu or something, and he claimed that he was raised by a _dragon."_

Krystal stared at Mira for a long time. "…Excuse me?"

"Well, he doesn't seem to be lying." Erza said with a shrug. "He's a good kid." She admitted. "He's been butting heads with Gray since he arrived, but they seemed to be getting along."

Mira shot Erza a doubtful look. "…Really?"

"Kris! Can you play something for us?" Cana waved to Krystal from where she is now talking to Lisanna, Macao and the new kid, Natsu.

Krystal looked annoyed—though neither Mira or Erza knew if she is annoyed because Cana is asking Krystal to play something in front of the entire guild or that the entire guild's attention is now focused on her.

"What am I, your personal gramophone?" she demanded, annoyed, amidst laughter from the guild, but she is already digging into her bag and pulling out her violin.

The new kid, Natsu's eyes grew as round as saucers as he saw something that is supposed to be too big to go into a small bag like that be taken out of Krystal's bag. There were loud claps and cheers from the guild even as Krystal played a lively and upbeat tune, and Lisanna grasped Natsu's hands, making him dance with her even as the rest of the guild started dancing around them.

In a hidden corner of the guild, Laxus gave a small smile as he watched Krystal.

As Krystal played the upbeat tunes, she glanced at the salmon-haired boy—Natsu.

Why does he feel so familiar to her?

* * *

 _A/N: I am aware that the past of the Raijinshuu is different in canon. But as stated, this is AU. And this is fanfiction. Who wants to see Zeref contacting Krystal? Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	4. Let Imagination Take Flight

**Pairings:** Laxus/Krystal

 **Warnings:** Gender switch. Sibling-like Erza and Mirajane. Nice Zeref. None-canon.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter and Fairy Tail and any of the characters

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Let Imagination Take Flight**

" _Imagination takes flight. That is the basis of rune magic." - Krystal Nightray_

 **XXXXXX**

Laxus swore on some days that it almost seemed like the guild was attracting strays like they're going out of fashion. He even had some random person in Magnolia actually asking him once if Makarov is running a wizard's guild or an orphanage.

There was Gray. Then Erza. The Strauss siblings. Then there was the loud mouth Natsu. And then Levy.

Krystal doesn't really count, as she's so quiet on most days that you won't even realise that she's there until she speaks up. Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow too.

In actual fact, the latter three actually hangs around Laxus and Krystal more than they did any other person. Makarov had actually made both Krystal and Laxus the trio's mentors seeing as how they were the ones to bring those three back to Fairy Tail to begin with.

Laxus wasn't that pleased when he had heard, but he had relented in the end when he'd heard from Makarov that he will be getting his job partner back, though Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow will be joining them on the less dangerous jobs as they were still learning magic.

Makarov had actually taken Evergreen with him to see Porlyusica the first week the moment that the guild master had gotten the full story from her about her uncontrollable magic. Krystal had actually tagged along on that visit so as to make Evergreen less nervous.

And when the mage doctor had gotten the full story from Makarov, she had muttered something about 'basilisk's eyes', but had promised to find a way to help Evergreen to control her Stone Magic, or even make a magic tool so that she doesn't accidentally petrify everyone that she had eye contact with. For the time being however, Porlyusica had given Evergreen a pair of magical eyeglasses to help her to control her magic.

And with three untrained mages tagging along with them, Laxus wasn't really that pleased that they're back to taking jobs in Magnolia _again._ He had thought that he's over that after Krystal had begun joining him on jobs, but he had held his tongue and grudgingly joined in on Krystal's lessons to teach the trio combat lessons and even magic lessons.

Unlike most of the mages in Fiore and even majority of those in Fairy Tail, Krystal actually doesn't rely on her magic for everything. She tries to handle things the mundane way if she could. Thus, the first lesson that the trio received from Krystal _and_ Laxus is how to freaking hold their own in a battle.

Laxus was practically born and raised in Fairy Tail—a guild that definitely doesn't hold back their punches when it comes to a fight. Hell, fights are a regular occurrence in Fairy Tail, especially after Erza, Mirajane and even Natsu joined. Thus, Laxus is pretty competent in a fight. So is Krystal for certain reasons.

But as Laxus isn't the most patient of teachers, he had left the bulk of magic training to Krystal when she was teaching the trio out in the woods south of Magnolia. Mage training is always unpredictable—especially in the early stages. And hence, beginner mage training is always out in the wilderness where there is a higher chance of containment if things go wrong as compared to if the training takes place in a building where there is a greater chance of the building getting blown up.

For Evergreen, it is easy—as she just has to learn how to control her power and how to release the petrification on a victim. Krystal had Evergreen practice on the innocent woodland animals for a start. And the remaining three guys swore by the end of the week that all the woodland animals have started running the moment they heard them arriving.

With Bickslow, they have to awaken his magic first, and Krystal and Laxus both quickly found out that much like Evergreen, his magic is activated via his eyes. Unlike Evergreen however, he could control _souls_ and even make inanimate objects move. Those with Soul Magic also tend to have the ability to see souls—and hence, this ability will likely make Bickslow very useful in jobs that require an interrogator.

For Freed, it's a little complicated. It actually took both Laxus and Krystal some time to figure out that his nature of magic is similar to Levy's who is a Solid Script mage—she basically uses runes to work her magic—a brand of magic that Freed is more attuned to.

The only problem here is that Freed first has to learn a complete foreign language which is what rune magic or script magic is about to begin with—it is basically an entire new language.

Thankfully for Krystal however, Freed is a hard and earnest worker, and he even studied dutifully at night in the male dormitory that most of the male Fairy Tail members lived in. Thus, it was barely a month later before Krystal could actually teach him the practical applications of rune magic.

"Watch this." Krystal told Freed who was paying attention, with Evergreen and Bickslow and even Laxus paying attention rapidly. Bright blue flames appeared on her fingertips before she launched them into the air where it formed in the familiar script language of rune magic that Freed is now so familiar with. And before their eyes, a solid block of wall appears. "This is just one example of what rune magic could do."

"It can do that? Runes, I mean?" Freed asked even as Krystal snapped her fingers and the block of wall crumpled—dissolving into runic words that dispersed as quickly as it had appeared.

"Yes. Imagination takes flight." Krystal told the interested Freed. "That is the basis of rune magic. The limit is just your imagination. Rune magic can be used for combat, healing and even support. It can be used to construct barriers and wards or even to tear it down. The wards and barriers that I am capable of constructing are also reliant on runes."

"It's like with every branch of magic, Freed." Laxus added his input. "The only limit to it is your mind. _You_ decide what you want to use with your magic." Laxus exchanged looks with Krystal who nodded. "All right, practical usage it is then today. How well you do today will depend on what type of job we're going to take tomorrow."

Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow perked up. Ever since they've came more than three months ago, Laxus had been in a pretty bad mood as he and Krystal have been stuck training the three of them, and as result, they couldn't take any jobs at all or were even stuck taking the simple ones at Magnolia.

"Well, Laxus will oversee today." Krystal stated, much to the trio's horror, and Laxus' annoyance even as Krystal took out a thick tome out from her magic bag. "I got a book to read, and you, Mister Grumpy, you need to learn to be more patient." She told the annoyed Laxus. "Go."

"I swear that if you can read a book on running these days, you will." Laxus grumbled, but he still got to his feet and started leading the way towards the stream not too far away from where Krystal is going to be.

Krystal shook her head even as she settled down on the forested ground, leaning against the bark of a large oak tree with the tome in her lap. Levy had seen her reading it in the guild once, and being a lover of books as the younger girl is, she had tried to peer at the tome curiously once. The blue haired girl had then asked Krystal with confusion if she could even read it, as all that Levy could see is simple gibberish.

Honestly, Krystal still found it funny to this day that no one—not even Makarov and Master Bob have thought to _ask_ Krystal just who taught her magic. They'd probably assumed that it was her mother who had taught her before she'd died, and they're really not wrong. It's just that it wasn't just Lillian Nightray who had taught Krystal magic.

Honestly, didn't any of them found it weird that Krystal could control her magic this well when Lillian Nightray _didn't know_ any lightning magic?

Despite making their home in the Forbidden Continent, Lillian Nightray isn't that naïve as to assume that they would be staying there forever. And the last thing that she should do is to send her daughter into the world ignorant and defenceless.

She had taught Krystal everything about the history and even the customs and hierarchy of the world—particularly that of the Magic Council and the guilds. And even about the _Hidden Circle._

" _Once upon a time, they were as official as the Magic Council is today." Lillian told a young Krystal, holding her on her lap, and flipping through the pages of an ancient tome that her lover had left to her. "They are powerful. Honourable. Good people."_

" _They aren't anymore?" Krystal asked curiously._

 _Lillian smiled and shook her head. "Not exactly. They just went into hiding—back into the Unseen World," she answered. "You see, Kris, while the Magic Council were made up solely of mages—of humans, the Hidden Circle is their exact opposite. Their members aren't human. Vampires. Demons. Members of the Fair Folk. They are the Hidden Circle. With the warlocks being their guardians in a way—people with demon blood."_

" _Why did they go into hiding?" Krystal asked, curious. This is starting to remind her of a far distant life. It is almost parallel._

" _Various reasons." Lillian answered with a sad smile, even as Padfoot whined from the carpet. "You see, hundreds of years ago, during the Age of the Dragons, they co-existed with the humans. Several members of the Hidden Circle still do today—at least those that aren't as easily ousted as the Unseen. In fact, when the Dragon War broke out that almost decimated the entire world, it was the Warlocks—the Seven High Warlocks that made up the Unseens' ruling council that stepped in and played ambassador between the few pacifist dragons and the humans—giving the humans the weapons they need to defeat the dragons and to end the Dragon War."_

 _Lillian had a grim smile on her face—Zeref had told her about this part of history—a piece of history in Fiore that barely anyone remembers now as it is such a dark part of human history that the royal family of Fiore at that time chose to bury it._

" _And what is that, Mommy?"_

" _Dragon Slaying abilities." Lillian answered. "They become the first Dragon Slayers. But after the Dragon War, everything went wrong. The Dragon Slayers then turned on their allies—slaying the few pacifist dragons that had helped them. One Dragon Slayer in particular became the very evil that the Unseen once hunted in the streets of Fiore."_

 _Zeref in particular was still riddled with guilt, as he was one of the 'ambassadors' that had talked the dragons into teaching the mundanes—the humans Dragon Slaying magic. Due to the nature of his Black Magic, Zeref is literally half-demon himself that actually enables him to use Warlock magic. That is only part of the reason why the Unseens have accepted him—as they respected power and honour, and Zeref has loads of that._

 _Lillian definitely didn't fall in love with Zeref just because of the way he looks._

And then, according to Lillian, everything simply went south when said Dragon Slayer slayed his fellow Slayers—not just the dragons, and soon turned into a dragon himself. Part of the reason why the Hidden Circle—the Unseens all went into hiding is because _Acnologia_ had started hunting them down.

He was _obsessed_ with the purity of blood.

Thus, in the present time, only the royal family, the Magic Council, the guild masters and several of the senior mages knew of the Hidden Circle. It is a piece of history that is no longer written down anywhere. It is only passed down from parent to child. From guild master to guild master.

Krystal's eyes narrowed even as she read a passage about warlock healing when a certain presence entered her senses.

She leaned back against the tree that she's leaning again, bringing her knees up to her chest. "…Magnus? Nain?"

Stifled laughter could be heard from behind the wide trunk of the tree that Krystal is leaning against. The weather mage let her muscles relax. Apart from her mother and Laxus, these two are some of the few that she would trust with her life. _They_ are the ones that have taught her magic. To be exact, _warlock magic._

Honestly, even Master Makarov didn't realise that the unusual branches of magic that Krystal is capable of is something that normal _mages_ shouldn't be capable of utilising. Due to Zeref being her father, and being as good as half-demon himself with his Black Magic and all, Krystal had some properties of demon blood that enables her to utilise warlock magic.

She is one of the Unseen.

And like what Magnus had explained to her once, the Dragon Slayers are too as they are basically part dragon themselves with how they've gained their magic.

"Your sensory abilities have improved." The familiar smooth voice of Magnus greeted her ears. "That is a delight to see."

"I told you we didn't have to come here, Magnus." Nain's exasperated voice came next. "Krystal can handle herself."

"I'll rather see it with my own eyes." Magnus responded. "Krystal, have you thought about our offer yet?"

"About heading back with you to the Hidden Circle?" Krystal asked. "I'll stick to my same answer. I want to see the world that my parents came from. I want to know why they hate my father so much."

"Humans never learn." Nain scoffed. "Zeref's a _hero._ He doesn't deserve to be treated this way. He _saved_ the Unseen World. Until those ignorant humans _experienced_ Acnologia for themselves, then they'll understand why Zeref did what he did. It's not his fault that the ignorant and greedy humans wanted his power for themselves and wrought the chaos and destruction that they did."

"Be that as it may be, Krystal. You might be human. But at the same time, you also have warlock blood. You have been _touched by Death."_ Magnus repeated the words he had said to Krystal once. "Even for mages, they will never understand Unseen culture. They won't understand you. And they might not even accept you—the same reason why they've cast your father out. And why Lillian had hidden the fact that Zeref is her lover. What are you doing to do once they've found out?"

Krystal sighed. "I'll take my chances," she answered.

"…All right." Magnus said at last. "If you need us, you know how to contact us."

There was a ripple in the air just then, and Krystal turned to look over her shoulder—though she knew that the two Warlocks were long gone.

There was a hoot from overhead before Hedwig landed on her shoulder, chirping at her. Krystal gave a small smile as she stroke Hedwig's soft white feathers. "…I can honestly never get away from being different, can I, Hedwig?" she whispered.

Hedwig hooted comfortingly.

 **XXXXXX**

 _~Unknown Location~_

"I see." Zeref sighed, sitting at the riverbank as usual, with the communication lacrima floating before him glowing with a soft blue light. "Thank you for trying at least."

" _It's not your fault, Zeref. You know that."_ Nain said forcefully. _"It's the humans' fault for distorting their own history the way they did. We at least made sure our children know their own history."_

" _And while we're on that subject, Zeref, does Krystal even know who you are and what you're trying to do?"_ Marcus asked. _"Lillian is acquainted with us through you back when you both were dating. So we were surprised when we received a fire message from her that she needs our help in teaching your daughter to control her magic. But she made us swear not to tell you anything—at least until Krystal leaves the Forbidden Continent. And now that you know, what are you going to do? She's your daughter. She won't be a child forever. And by the time she becomes an adult, what then? Her lineage can't be hidden forever. These things always comes out, Zeref! And Lillian is pretty famous amongst the human mage community. Your…creations will know her as your daughter especially. And then, what? What are you going to do then?"_

Zeref grimaced. He had been toying with himself for _years_ now whether he should make contact with his daughter or not ever since receiving Lillian's letter. Will his daughter hate him? Will she believe the same things that the rest of the world does about him? Though if she is anything like Lillian at all, Zeref honestly doubts so.

There is a reason why Lillian is the first human in _centuries_ that the Unseen had accepted. And Zeref himself doesn't count.

"…I don't know."

 **XXXXXX**

 _~Fairy Tail Guild; Magnolia~_

The guild was as crowded as always the next morning when Laxus and Krystal, along with Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen have entered, heading directly for the job request board where the job requests are always put up.

And as usual, Nab is hanging out in front of the job board.

"Nab, if you aren't going to take a job, can you let us survey the board first?" Laxus asked impatiently after several moments of waiting for Nab to move.

Nab looked over his shoulder. "Oh. Laxus and Krystal. And the new guys." There was an indignant bark from behind Krystal's legs, and Nab chuckled. "Hello to you too, Padfoot."

"Well, let's see what job we can take." Laxus surveyed the job request board. "Due to my Gramps' restrictions as we're still stuck on babysitting duty, we can only take the ones around Magnolia."

"That new kid, Natsu, just completed a job in retrieving the Cat from Hell." Cana called out to them from the counter where she's having her lunch.

As one, Laxus and Krystal grimaced and exchanged looks. Every Fairy Tail mage would have taken that dreaded job at least once. Said cat belongs to an old lady living in Magnolia and seems to make it his own personal mission in running away daily. Honestly, by this time, that job request should really be bumped up to S-rank as that cat gets more and more difficult to catch with each time it got loose.

"W-Well, we do have a job request that wants someone to help with the construction of a house." Laxus said, quickly turning his attention back to the other job requests. "You three are good at woodwork, right?"

"We've done it enough times before coming to Magnolia." Freed shrugged.

"There is also a job that wants someone to help them to fill in and paint the local swimming complex." Krystal mused, surveying the job requests. Makarov's orders are very clear to Krystal and Laxus—no taking jobs out of Magnolia that requires them to be in battle until they are both confident of Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen's combat and magic skills.

"Or—" Laxus interrupted as there was the loud sound that sounds as if a cat had just died just outside the guild, "we can go and catch Mimi. Again."

"I'm allergic to cats, Laxus." Evergreen raised her hand hesitantly. And it is true. The first time they took that damn job, Evergreen was sneezing so much that Krystal finally took her out of that job as she was a little afraid that they would need to take Evergreen to Porlyusica for treatment.

"No to the Mimi job then." Laxus murmured, much to Bickslow and Freed's relief—as Catching Mimi the Runaway Cat was the first job that they took during their first week with Laxus and Krystal supervising. It is only later when they've found out that the two have used that job request to observe their reaction time and their speed.

Krystal smiled before she snatched a job request off the board. "Don't bother. Let's do this," she said, holding the job request sheet in front of Laxus who read it aloud.

"A C-rank job request from one of the neighbouring towns. They need someone to stand in as the musician for the Festival of Light as the original musician broke his arm." Laxus read. "Sounds like up our alley."

"W-Well, I can sing." Evergreen said, flipping her hair.

"Sorry. Krystal is going to do that part." Laxus smirked. "The rest of us are just going to help out at the festival. Sure you want to do this?" He turned back towards Krystal. "I thought you hate performing in front of a crowd?"

"Not this time." Krystal said. "Let's go."

 **XXXXXX**

"Can I ask a question?" Freed asked Laxus as the pair were assigned to setting up the tents in the town that they have taken the job request. Evergreen had gone with Krystal to the backstage whilst Bickslow was helping with the festival lights.

"Hmm?" Laxus glanced at Freed even as he set up the tents with ease. Even at being just sixteen years old, Laxus is generally stronger than most of those his age. "What?"

"What do you mean by Krystal hates performing in front of a crowd?" Freed asked. "And I never knew that she could play a musical instrument."

"Oh. You caught that, huh?" Laxus didn't say anything for several moments. "Kris…doesn't really like attention. She had enough from people as you can tell that her magic is really unusual."

"Her magic over the weather?"

"One amongst others." Laxus shrugged. "She can do magic that most people can't. Even my Gramps is baffled just how she's capable of those magic that she could do. From the first moment that she arrived in Fairy Tail, she pretty much kept to herself. Apart from myself, my gramps, Gildarts, Cana, Mira and Erza, and recently, Natsu and the three of you, she doesn't talk much to others. I found out much later from Krystal that people have always been trying to use her. How is she supposed to trust people if she _don't know_ who she could trust?"

"That's awful." Freed mused, absently thinking to his childhood and how he, Bickslow and Evergreen only have each other. It is just the three of them, but he will trust those two with his life. And just recently, that circle had expanded.

Laxus shrugged. "Yeah. I know that my gramps had been trying to get her to open up to the rest of the guild, but Kris really had the tendency to dig her heels in over the silliest of things at times." He chuckled, obviously recalling a humorous memory.

"Hey! The performance is beginning!" Bickslow approached them just then. "I think Krystal's up first."

* * *

Krystal was seated on a chair in the middle of the stage, tuning her guitar—determinedly keeping her eyes _off_ of the crowd that are gathering. Laxus just spied Evergreen behind the curtains at the back of stage who is waving excitedly to Freed and Bickslow when she spotted them.

"All right. Everyone, thank you for waiting." Krystal's voice was amplified by some creative usage of water magic so that she doesn't have to raise her voice too much in order to be heard in the hall. Applause could be heard, and standing next to the doors with Bickslow and Freed, Laxus swore that he saw the village chief sitting in the first row. His eyes then went to Krystal. He won't deny that he's just as excited to listen to Krystal's performance—it had been a long time since he had seen her play in front of a crowd—the yearly Phantasm that Fairy Tail puts up in Magnolia doesn't really count. "I hope that you enjoy this song."

The entire hall quietened down as Krystal's slender fingers strummed over the strings of her guitar, playing the first starting tunes of the song—a song that Laxus had never heard before.

" _Soldiers keep on marching on. Head down til the work is done. Waiting on that morning sun. Soldier keep on marching on."_ Krystal and Laxus' eyes met at that point, and the raven head gave a small rare smile at him. _"Head in the dust, feet in the fire. Labor on that midnight wire. Listening for that angel choir. You got nowhere to run."_

Due to how captivated that Laxus is, he missed seeing the expression on Freed's face. Bickslow who is standing on Laxus' other side noticed, and he frowned.

The audience gave out loud gasps of awe as blobs of water appeared in the air, along with water sprays—thus causing the lights to bounce and turn fragmented—creating a beautiful picture.

" _You wanna take a drink of that promised land. You gotta wipe the dirt off of your hands. Careful son, you got dreamer's plans. But it gets hard to stand. Soldier keep on marching on. Head down til the work is done. Waiting on that morning sun. Soldier keep on marching on."_

Krystal's eyes met Laxus once more, and a memory from the previous day resurfaced once more.

" _Be that as it may be, Krystal. You might be human. But at the same time, you also have warlock blood. You have been_ _ **touched by Death."**_ _Magnus repeated the words he had said to Krystal once. "Even for mages, they will never understand Unseen culture. They won't understand you. And they might not even accept you—the same reason why they've cast your father out. And why Lillian had hidden the fact that Zeref is her lover. What are you doing to do once they've found out?"_

Loud roars of applause echoed in the hall even as Krystal got to her feet and gave a polite bow, her eyes meeting Laxus' once more. He gave her a rare smile, also clapping along with Freed and Bickslow.

' _What will you think of me if you should know the truth?'_

* * *

 _A/N: Some romance development next chapter, I promise! And I swear that I've been watching too much Shadowhunters lately, as some elements from that show had somehow appeared in this story as I'm writing it. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	5. Waiting

**Pairings:** Laxus/Krystal

 **Warnings:** Gender switch. Sibling-like Erza and Mirajane. Nice Zeref. Non-canon

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter and Fairy Tail and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Waiting**

 _~X780; Fairy Tail Guild; Magnolia~_

There are times when Makarov Dreyar looked back and wondered where all the time has gone.

He's getting old now, and had been leading Fairy Tail for years, if not decades. And he had seen the members of his guild—his _children_ —most of them grow from the little ankle biters they are to the adults they now are.

Even his grandson, Laxus.

He had seen the boy grow from the awkward lanky kid with a temper and a sharp tongue to boot to being the fine young man that he is, though Makarov did wish that his relationship with his grandson could have been better.

Thanks to Krystal always playing mediator however, the relationship between grandfather and grandson isn't as strained as it had been just after Makarov had kicked Ivan out of the guild without even explaining _why._

Sure, maybe Makarov could have told Laxus why he had done such a thing—why he had expelled his own son from the guild. But like what Makarov had told Gildarts, Macao and Porlyusica years ago when they've told him to just come clean with Laxus, the old man didn't want to stain Laxus' view of his father. Ivan might not have been the best father (and here, Makarov honestly wondered where he had gone wrong with his son), but he is still Laxus' father, and Makarov didn't want Laxus to hate his father.

Only a scant few in the guild had known the truth about why Ivan was actually expelled from the guild back then; and even Makarov admitted to himself that it might have been easier on Laxus and even their relationship with each other if only the guild had just known the truth about Ivan's guilt. Then maybe they could stop treating Laxus as just 'Makarov's grandson'.

It is partly his own fault too that Laxus had refused to bond with anyone in the guild. At least until Krystal had turned up.

Right from the beginning, Laxus had taken to her. She is probably Laxus' closest and best friend (though now that both are entering their teen years, Makarov had hoped for something more).

The three orphans that Laxus and Krystal have both brought back to the guild years ago are also shaping up to be excellent mages with some battle skill. Though much like Laxus, they kept to themselves and rarely interacted with the others in the guild. Makarov knew that most of the minor members of the guild thought them as stuck up, and none of them did anything to negate that thought.

Their isolation from the guild only grew worse after they became an official team in Fairy Tail right after Makarov had cleared Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen to take on combat jobs outside Magnolia.

In fact, if it hadn't been for Krystal, those four likely would never know _anything_ that is happening in the guild at all, and would likely stay estranged from them. Even so, the few that they interacted with in Fairy Tail is minimal at best.

Krystal however is another child that had Makarov concerned.

Most of the kids that flocked to Fairy Tail and joined the guild as children generally have some terrible background story—with the worst amongst them likely being Erza. Krystal however is a mystery—not even Makarov knew what had actually happened to her prior to joining Fairy Tail save from what Gildarts could tell him when he'd first brought the child to Fairy Tail.

Though with how she had grown up in the Forbidden Continent, and with what Gildarts had told him, and how he had to control his temper and stop Laxus from killing the villagers, Makarov had a good idea what had happened to Krystal in the past.

Abused children always leave a bad taste in his mouth. Even the most hardened of criminals would never abuse a child. Erza's situation is one of the rare ones where mages had actually laid a hand on a child. Even the situation with the Strauss siblings prior to their arrival at the guild had Makarov having to control his temper before he explodes.

Though honestly, Makarov really wished to know just _what_ is going through Lillian Nightray's head when she had decided to make her home in the _Forbidden Continent_ of all places! Every mage with some brains knew better than to even go near that place.

Bob was confused as well, especially after Gildarts had brought Krystal to Fairy Tail. The Lillian Nightray that Bob knew had a good head on her shoulders, and she is no fool. More than anyone else, she knew the dangers of the Forbidden Continent and knew the lengths that the mundanes would go to when faced with something that they do not understand and fear.

Lillian Nightray is not new to the discrimination of mages either.

Magic can be wonderful at times. But it can also be something that brings nothing but pain. For the first several years of Krystal's life, that saying seems to be truer than one thinks. Makarov had suspected initially that it might be why Krystal never uses magic unless she has to.

"Master, we're back!" A voice called out just then from the entrance of the guild as the doors swung opened. Every head in the normally noisy guild swivelled towards the entrance only to see Krystal and a scowling Laxus entering the guild. A happy yapping Padfoot followed at their heels, wagging his tail furiously.

Makarov beamed even as he took a puff on his pipe. "Oh, welcome back, both of you!" he said. "How goes the job?"

Makarov then listened patiently and intently as Krystal told him what had happened on their job—and if anything noteworthy had happened, with Laxus giving his own input every now and then.

Krystal might be quiet and even strange for a mage, but Makarov wouldn't change her for anything in the world, and he knew that Laxus wouldn't either.

' _Master Precht, will you be proud of me when you see me now?'_

 **XXXXXX**

"… _Kill the spare—"_

" _Isn't it obvious, Krystal? He's_ _ **jealous—"**_

" _Mad-Eye's dead—"_

" _He's not dead! He's not dead! Sirius!"_

" _Leave it, Krystal! You can't help him anymore!"_

"— _They're not alone. My parents might be Muggles, but even they know that something bad is going on—"_

"… _The Ministry has fallen. The Minister of Magic is dead. They are coming…"_

"… _I am Lord Voldemort—"_

" _No, you're not. You're Tom Marvolo Riddle, son of Thomas Riddle and Merope Gaunt—"_

" _My dear child—"_

" _Save it, Dumbledore. I will not listen to you anymore—even as a portrait. You_ _ **used**_ _me. You_ _ **intend**_ _for me to die—!"_

… _My Master…_

 **XXXXXX**

Krystal sat up in her bed, breathing heavily, with sweat adorning her brow even as she swept her bangs out of her eyes. She looked out of the window only to see that it's still dark out, with the few lacrima lights lining the streets of Magnolia being the only things that she could see.

"A dream…" Krystal murmured.

On the bird perch in a corner of the room, Hedwig hooted comfortingly in the darkness. Padfoot whined from the foot of her bed and padded towards Krystal, nosing her comfortingly with his wet nose.

Krystal smiled weakly at the loyal canine, running a hand over the black and white fur. "I'm okay," she whispered more for her benefit than for the dog.

She looked out of the window again.

Two years ago, after she'd turned thirteen, she had finally saved enough to get her own apartment instead of continuously renting at Fairy Hills alongside the rest of the girls at Fairy Tail. Nothing against Erza and the rest, but Krystal is getting tired of having to cast silencing charms at her door so that they wouldn't come running should she start screaming at night whenever the bad dreams crept up on her.

And with how _nosy_ her guild mates are, especially Natsu, Krystal knew that they wouldn't stop probing until they had a satisfactory answer. And the last thing she wants is to be dragged to Porlyusica for Mind Healing.

Laxus, Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen have helped her with the move. And over the past two years, with the numerous plants and even the little amenities that Krystal had added, it soon resembles like the old house that she had left behind at the Sacred Mountain—complete with a small river running in front of her house, with a small bridge that Laxus had helped her to build over it.

It soon became the unofficial meeting area for the Lightning Tribe aka their team. Evergreen had crashed over more than once. Laxus is a frequent visitor as well during the nights when he didn't want to go home. Krystal knew for a fact that Laxus is considering getting his own apartment in Magnolia and moving out of his grandfather's house, something that upsets Krystal.

By this point, with six lifetimes' worth of memories and experiences, she knew that family doesn't always mean that they will look out for each other. Even as faded as they are, Krystal still remembers the pain and loneliness that is her first life during her childhood, and even the unhappiness the years after during her teenage years all the way to her death. But in Laxus' case, Makarov actually _loves_ him. It is _Laxus_ who is still holding a grudge for some reason.

Krystal however said nothing, as Laxus' family life is not her concern and not something for her to interfere in.

Krystal clutched at the lightning bolt pendant around her neck—Laxus' gift to her.

"Why am I dreaming about it now?" Krystal whispered, and Padfoot whined again. She ran a hand over the silky fur. "I'm okay. I'm okay." She whispered, sounding more like she's trying to convince herself. "I'm fine, right, Sirius?"

Padfoot whined.

 **XXXXXX**

Krystal is normally so quiet that the guild barely noticed when she is around, and even more so when she _isn't_ around.

Frowning, Laxus looked around the guild from his usual spot in the corner, headphones over his ears as usual. Krystal would tell him if she had gone on a solo job, right? How many days has it been since he'd last seen her?

"Hey, did anyone see Krystal around?" Laxus finally questioned, and the normally rowdy and noisy guild stopped their machinations at his question, with all heads swivelling towards the grumpy blond.

"Now that you've mentioned it…" Erza trailed off slowly at the counter, halfway through consuming her strawberry shortcake. "How many days has it been since she had been last in here?" The redhead asked Mirajane who was frowning.

"Isn't she out on some job or something?" Gray Fullbuster asked uncaringly from his corner.

Nothing against Krystal, but Gray had always felt uneasy around her for some reason, and he just can't seem to bring himself to warm up to the older girl or even bond with her. With Natsu, it's different, as both boys have mutual respect for each other despite the countless arguments and fights that they constantly get into. With Krystal, Gray always felt that he always had to put his guard up.

Erza wasn't impressed with Gray because of this, not liking how the slightly younger boy is 'snubbing' her best friend just because of 'a feeling'. If anything, it is most likely the reason why Natsu and Gray always get into fights more often of late—with those fights being one that Erza turned a blind eye to after hearing the reason _why._

(And if Erza 'accidentally' smacks Gray over the head with her sword, no one had said anything)

If Gray had felt uneasy around Krystal, it is the exact opposite for Natsu. Sure, the little hothead had demanded for the slightly older girl to fight him the first time he had laid eyes on her after he'd settled into the guild—the same way that he did to literally every single person in Fairy Tail.

And much to Erza, Mirajane, Laxus and even Makarov's amusement, Krystal had beaten down Natsu in two seconds flat without even trying at all. And _without_ using magic.

Everyone have assumed that Natsu will demand for a rematch, with the little Dragon Slayer being extremely competitive—proof of his constant arguments and fights with Gray. But strangely enough, it isn't for Krystal. If anything, Natsu seems to see Krystal as an older sister of some sort, and is protective over her.

"No, she isn't." Mirajane said immediately, scowling at Gray for his nonchalant tone. If it's one thing that Mirajane and Erza have agreed on, it is that neither one of them liked how Gray had always treated Krystal when she had always been nothing but polite to him, if not distant. "Krystal always informed either myself or Erza if she is going to be away from the guild for longer than a day."

Erza nodded her head. "Someone will need to tend to her plants," she answered the unasked question.

"So did anyone see her?" Laxus asked impatiently. He really didn't want to spend more time than necessary with these idiots. He honestly couldn't understand what Krystal sees in them. Though for her sake, he is willing to endure them.

"Nope. I haven't seen her for two days." Natsu answered, and there were several nods from all around. "Though she is normally so quiet that I likely wouldn't notice her if she doesn't want to be noticed."

Laxus frowned, concerned. Did something happen? It isn't like Krystal. Though he knew that she isn't in trouble, or Hedwig or Padfoot would have come to get him by now.

"Laxus, did you try the pier or the lake?" Erza asked suddenly, and Laxus turned towards the redhead. Erza looked particularly solemn. "I know that she likes going there whenever she needs to think. Krystal might be there."

Krystal's best friends would know her habits, Laxus knew. Krystal had always liked places with water like the lake or even the river. It is probably why she had even made a small river running through the front of her house. It probably had something to do with her magic.

Laxus chewed on his bottom lip before turning on his heel. "I'm going to go look for her."

* * *

True to Erza's suggestion, Laxus did indeed spot Krystal immediately sitting at the dock of Magnolia, her feet just skimming over the surface of the river. Padfoot was seated on his haunches next to her, with the loyal canine snuggling close to her. Laxus don't see Hedwig anywhere, but he knew that the loyal owl would come if her mistress and bonded mate is in trouble.

Sometimes, seeing the bond that familiar and master have makes Laxus long for a familiar of his own. Someone that wouldn't see him as just 'Makarov's grandson' the way that Krystal did. Someone that would be loyal to him and wouldn't abandon him the way that Padfoot and Hedwig are to Krystal.

"Erza told me that I will find you here. And she's right." Laxus said as a manner of greeting even as he approached Krystal, with his footsteps making light thudding sounds on the wood of the dock. He knew however that Krystal already knew that he's there. Her skills at tracking and sensing someone are un-parallel in Fairy Tail. Even _Makarov_ found it difficult to sneak up on the fifteen-year-old at times.

Krystal smiled a small smile at Laxus even as the nineteen-year-old sat down next to her after kicking his boots off, and dipping his feet into the cold water.

"Hey."

"Something wrong?" Laxus asked at once with a frown, seeing how pale that Krystal looks, especially with the dark rings beneath her eyes. Hasn't she been sleeping? In fact, Laxus isn't sure if he shouldn't suggest that Krystal pays Porlyusica a visit.

Krystal shook her head. "Nothing much," she answered with a shrug. "Just…some bad dreams." She admitted. Next to her, Padfoot whined.

Laxus frowned, but Krystal didn't elaborate, and he didn't want to pry further. "Will you be okay?" he asked. "Do you want me to ask Porlyusica for some herbs or medicine to help you sleep?"

"I can brew some myself." Krystal answered at once, looking rather offended, and Laxus cracked a grin.

Right.

He kept forgetting that Krystal's mother is a skilled herbalist and a mage doctor prior to her death, and Krystal is bound to have learned those skills from her mother. In fact, whenever Laxus and the Lightning Tribe needs patching up, it is usually Krystal they go to if it isn't serious enough to warrant Porlyusica's attention.

The blond was taken aback as Krystal starting humming something beneath her breath even as she buried her fingers into Padfoot's thick fur.

" _Far away at the shore, in a town beside the sea. Alone stands a girl, staring longingly. It is here, at the shore, that she holds onto her chest. A secret she dare never speak. 'If you write a wish upon a paper and you place it into a glass bottle. And it's washed away by the ocean, then someday, there's a chance that it may just come true'…"_

"I like this song." Laxus said, and Krystal gave him a warm smile.

"It's one of my favourites." Krystal admitted. She fell silent.

"Is it Gray?" Laxus asked at last, and Krystal looked at him. "I know it's been bothering you. I don't know what the hell is that brat's problem as well. Just say the word, and I'll knock some sense into him."

Krystal laughed and shook her head. "You don't have to," she said. She knew that if Laxus actually made good on his word, Gray likely wouldn't be returning to Fairy Tail at all. The blond can be very intimidating if he wants to. "Like I said before, I don't really care if people don't like me or not." With what she had gone through at the hands of the villagers in her childhood, she honestly doesn't care anymore if people don't like her. "Just… I guess the dreams are bothering me more than I thought." She admitted.

Laxus wrapped an arm around Krystal's shoulders and brought her close to him, much to her surprise. The blond buried his nose into the top of her head. "I'll be here," he said. "I'll protect you."

Krystal smiled to herself. "Yeah. I know you will."

The pair then spent the rest of the evening in complete silence after that.

 **XXXXXX**

Laxus had dragged Krystal to have dinner at the guild hall even as the sunlight gave way to night. He had made sure to keep Gray out of Krystal's sight, and he knew that Mirajane, Erza, Natsu and even Lisanna and Elfman have done their part to make sure that Gray doesn't upset Krystal any further as well.

If Gray does, he doesn't have to worry about Laxus. There will be an entire line of people queuing up to beat the crap out of him, and Padfoot will likely happily make a meal out of the ice user.

Krystal had then made her own way home after dinner, waving goodbye to her friends and Laxus, and assuring the blond that she will be fine heading home on her own. Padfoot had barked quite indignantly at that, much to the guild's amusement.

"Hmm?" Krystal raised a confused eyebrow even as she fitted the key into the lock only to realise that the door isn't locked. She narrowed her eyes even as Padfoot started to growl at her feet, his hackles raised, and all her internal alarms starting going off. "Padfoot, guard."

Padfoot barked even as Krystal pushed the door slightly opened as she entered her house, ready to cast a spell within a moment even as she scanned the darkness within her house before she turned on the light.

Krystal frowned as she saw no one inside, and she doesn't sense anyone either.

Is it her imagination? Did she just forget to lock her door?

"Is it my imagination?" Krystal murmured.

Her eyes then flew opened in shock the next moment as a hand covered her mouth from behind even as the door shut silently behind her. Padfoot growled and barked menacingly, though he whined pitifully the next moment as he was held down to the ground by an unseen force and fell asleep.

' _Who?'_ Krystal's eyes widened with shock and terror, struggling. _'A mage?! Why didn't I sense anyone?'_

"Be quiet." A smooth voice spoke from behind her. Krystal just spied the visage of a black cloak from behind her. "I'm not here to hurt you."

The hold on her was released, and Krystal immediately sprang back, putting as much distance between her and her assailant—all her training throughout her past lifetimes coming into handy, including the hand-to-hand combat moves that Laxus had taught her.

A young man, probably in his early twenties at best stood before Krystal, clothed in dark clothes and looking upon her with a nostalgic and fond expression, something that confused her in the beginning. And yet, something about this man seems _so familiar_ to her.

"We finally meet, Krystal." The man said fondly. "I think we need to talk."

Krystal's eyes widened with shock and recognition as she realised who this man is—she had seen photos in the past from her mother in this lifetime, and even from Magnus and Nain.

"…Dad?"

* * *

 _A/N: Apologies for the long hiatus! I can't believe it's nearly been an entire year since I've last updated this story! To Gray lovers, sorry if you do not like how I've portrayed him. But I have my reasons for making him not liking Krystal despite Natsu taking to her. Next chapter will likely have a timeskip before I jump straight to Fairy Tail canon. On that note, do you want Lisanna to be ferreted away to Edolas or keep her on Earthland still? If yes, Lucy likely will be portrayed differently in this story._

 _I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


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